A Congress leader in Tamil Nadu has stepped up the party's attack on the Sivakarthikeyan-starrer Parasakthi and demanded a ban on the film, alleging it distorts historical facts surrounding the anti-Hindi imposition agitations of the 1960s and portrays the Congress and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in a negative light.
Speaking to NDTV on Tuesday, Arun Bhaskar, Senior Vice President of the Tamil Nadu Youth Congress, accused the filmmakers of misrepresenting key events and personalities. The film, directed by Sudha Kongara, is set against the backdrop of the intense protests against Hindi imposition in Tamil Nadu during the 1960s.
"Parasakthi is not just creative fiction. It uses real leaders, real events and real visuals. When history is distorted in this manner, it directly defames the Congress," Bhaskar said, announcing that he also plans to take the legal route.
The Youth Congress leader listed four specific objections. First, he claimed the film falsely shows the Congress government announcing Hindi as the official language on post office money order forms. "This never happened. There is no historical record to support such a claim," he said.
Second, Bhaskar objected to the portrayal of Indira Gandhi in what he described as a "negative and villainous manner," referring to a scene in which the film's protagonist meets her in Delhi. "Indira Gandhi is shown as an antagonist. That is a deliberate attempt to vilify her legacy," he alleged.
Bhaskar also claimed the film inaccurately depicts Indira Gandhi as being present in Coimbatore on February 12, 1965. "She was not in Coimbatore on that date. This is a verifiable historical fact," he stressed.
Finally, he dismissed a scene showing a train catching fire in front of Indira Gandhi as entirely fictitious. "No such incident ever took place," he asserted.
Bhaskar also questioned the role of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which has cleared the film. "The CBFC has allowed content that defames the Congress. The Supreme Court has clearly ruled that history cannot be distorted. Viewers will believe what is shown on screen actually happened," he said, adding that the use of real-life images of political leaders makes the impact even more serious.
'Recognise Mistakes'
Acknowledging that the Congress did attempt to impose Hindi, Bhaskar said the party later adopted a two-language policy. "The Congress has always stood with the people. We recognise past mistakes, but we will not accept falsehoods being presented as history," he said.
The Youth Congress leader maintained that the filmmakers should delete what he termed "non-historic scenes", and issue an apology to the Congress. "That is the minimum corrective step," he said.
Parasakthi is produced by Akash Baskaran and distributed by Red Giant Movies, a company linked to the DMK's first family, with Chief Minister M K Stalin's grandson Inbanithi serving as its CEO. Bhaskar clarified that his anger was directed only at the producer and director. "The distributor has no role in creative decisions," he said.
Responding to the allegations, director Sudha Kongara has denied any wrongdoing, stating that Parasakthi is not a historical film.
Asked whether the controversy could strain the Congress-DMK alliance, Bhaskar said, "My concern is only about this film. The party leadership will take care of the alliance."
